Home > Business > Industry

Adverts using AI-generated images of people must disclose use: Fair Trade Commission

Published: 08 Apr. 2026, 17:16 Updated: 08 Apr. 2026, 18:04

An advertisement features a virtual human created through AI. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Advertisements featuring AI-generated images of people are now required to include a label disclosing their use to prevent consumers from mistaking them for real experts such as doctors or professors, the Fair Trade Commission said Wednesday.

The measure is part of the commission’s revised guidelines on endorsements and testimonials in advertising, which set criteria for determining whether such advertisements are deceptive and require disclosure when a celebrity promotes a product in exchange for compensation.

The updated version adds virtual characters as a category of endorsers, previously limited to consumers, celebrities, experts, organizations and institutions, to reflect a growing number of cases in which AI-generated virtual characters are used in advertisements on platforms such as YouTube, the commission said.

For example, ads may feature AI-created figures presented as “a pediatric obesity specialist trained at a top university” or “a dermatologist with 20 years of experience,” making claims such as “losing five kilograms [about 11 pounds] in a week is only a matter of time.”

The commission warned that such practices could mislead consumers into believing that products are endorsed by real experts when they are not.

Under the proposed revision, specific labeling methods must be followed depending on the medium. On text-based platforms such as blogs or online communities, a notice such as “This post includes a virtual character generated using AI” must appear at the beginning or in the title. For image- or video-based advertisements, the label “virtual character” must be displayed near the character throughout the character's appearance.

The commission plans to finalize and implement the revision after collecting stakeholder and relevant government agency opinions and obtaining approval at a plenary meeting.

After the guidelines take effect, authorities will monitor advertisements that fail to include the required labeling and encourage voluntary corrections, the commission said. In cases where consumer harm is deemed significant, corrective orders and fines of up to two percent of related sales may be imposed.

BY AHN HYO-SEONG [[email protected]]